On 24 January, the UN Security Council's 'Month of Africa' debate reached its climax with a day-long meeting on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The meeting was addressed by no less than seven African heads of state, nine ministers and the secretaries-general of the United Nations and the Organisation of African Unity. The UN's Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) attempted to assess the impact of the initiative launched by US Ambassador Richard Holbrooke in his capacity as President of the Council for January 2000, through an interview with the UN Secretary-General.